Canterbury man pleads with Boroondara Council to fix footpath slip hazard

An 86-year-old man who fears he will die if he trips on loose footpath stones has repeatedly phoned his council, begging for a fix. But its response has dumbfounded the self-confessed computer novice.

Retiree Hugh Livingstone says dangerous loose stones create a slipping hazard on a footpath near his home. Picture: Josie Hayden

An elderly Canterbury man fears his next fall could be his last and says he’s begged Boroondara Council to take action on a hazardous stretch of pathway near his home.

Hugh Livingstone, 86, walks along Mont Albert Rd past Camberwell Grammar School every day while taking his grandson to school.

Recently he said he’d started skirting the pathway abutting Athol Place because loose stones tracked by cars from the gravel court onto the concrete footpath created a slipping hazard he feared could spell his end.

He’d made three calls to the council to report the issue, he said, but they kept telling the self-confessed computer novice to email them, something he said he didn’t know how to do.

“I worry about the littlies as well, they could slip over,” Mr Livingstone said.

“My next fall will be my last, I’ve had a bleed on the brain from falling. (But) they insist on a written complaint.”

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Boroondara Council recently made headlines with its plan to redesign its website at a cost of $11.7 million, and to also spend $129 million on a customer service overhaul.

Council acting director of environment and infrastructure Carolyn Terry said the council was reviewing two possible permanent fixes to the problem including creating a kerb to contain the crushed rock or resealing the court.

She encouraged anyone who wanted to report an issue but was not tech savvy to either call the council or visit its offices at 8 Inglesby Rd, Camberwell.

Ms Terry said the council would consult with homeowners at Athol Place to determine what their preferred option was to address the problem.

Do you know of a safety hazard in your neighbourhood? Contact the Progress Leader at [e-mail] or phone [phone].